My ratings by kids age

A Howlin' Good Time!

This was my Families 3rd visit at this Great Wolf Lodge. We love it!! The water park cannot be beat. We go in the middle of the week. The crowds are much smaller. Try to get a room away from the stairwell doors. Magiquest players are very loud, and they play the game late into the evening. Great WOlf Lodge is a great value, and we enjoy it as a Staycation.

Tips for Families

Bring your own drinks and snacks. You get a small fridge & microwave. We make micro-popcorn & I bring mini-bagels. We hate missing out on waterpark fun to eat.

Poulsbo, Washington

My ratings by kids age

Great fun for famillies

Great Wolf Lodge is great fun for families. Adults and kids alike have a blast at the indoor water park. Kids love the 'wand game' as we call it--a crazy scavenger hunt for the digital era. It is exhausting on the parents running all around the hotel, up and down stairs, etc. Some of the rooms have cool little 'lodges' with bunks inside the room.

Tips for Families

Bring earplugs for the water park area--it gets very noisy! And if you aren't going to get wet, be prepared to be HOT. They keep the water park area around 80+ degrees.

My ratings by kids age

Consider us there!

We went last year in May,(& headed back this year in May as well); this time we got the Kid Cabin suite for the kids,...so excited! We checked in, found our room, & went right to the water~It's quite a site to take in, but right away you can see what's age appropriate, and since I had a 2,6, & 14 yr old, we went on many things! We all enjoyed Slap Tail Pond, b/c it starts off like a pond/lake, you just walk it and it gets deeper and deeper. My older ones enjoyed the waves, which go in 5 min intervals,(you'll hear a howl to alert you), & they get crazy, you can kind of body surf off of them-My son and I did the Howlin' Tornado a lot, this is for the bigger kids, and it worked us! When we weren't in the water, the kids enjoyed whipping their wands out for an adventure with MagiQuest; great interactive game, & gave mom & dad a break! They have a mirowave,fridge, & coffee maker in the rooms, & I would say take full advantage. I might bring my crockpot next time b/c the restaurant was spendy-The arcade was fun, & a nice escape from the water-We did buy a Paw Pass,(which is about $65, and saves you 25% off), and got to do things like Cub Club,(crafts room, where my daughter colored her own shirt); Snack deals, where we got our sweet tooth fix; the Creation Station, where we got to watch them stuff a toy we picked out,etc... One thing to note: they do a lot of swimming drills/lifesaving drills, we really thought a baby had drowned when they lifted a small(doll) from the water;I was actually upset, but then understood that they do these "drills" to keep the staff,(1-2 for each area) alert,....AND THEY WERE ON THEIR GAME EVERY TIME! The staff at the lodge was helpful and friendly, and we've decided to go back every year!!

Tips for Families

*Use the microwave, fridge, & coffee maker, they're your friends! The microwave is not that big, but you could bring a cooler and some basic frozen stuff to snack on. May want to bring a crockpot and put something basic on for the day to come back to,(however, just a hunch that they might not like that idea ;) *Buy a Paw Pass; it gives you many extras, that we might have not otherwise had & experienced! Get there early, and swim; although you may not be able to get into your room until 1pm,(they've never had us wait for our room though), you may take advantage of the swimming right away- *Don't forget that there are restaurants/fast food places around the lodge, DO A LITTLE research, and you'll save ALOT OF $~We went to the Camp Critter Bar & Grill inside the lodge, AND DID WE PAY,......I did not even like the food-The Hungry as a Wolf pizza place inside is good though, & you can bring it back to the room, or like we did, ate is as lunch, right beore we left down by the pool~ *They now have the Great Forest Challenge, says it's "a fast-paced, skill-building, family-fun adventure", & Howl at the Moon Glow Golf which is indoor and uses black lights; we have not been to either one, as they were not there last year, & can't wait to do something new this year! *BRING EYEDROPS,............my eyes were so red & irritated at one point, & they do have a shop right by the pool, but why not bring it from home~ When all else fails,.......go here:http://askamom.greatwolf.com/ Good luck with your planning, & get ready to have a great "within your means" family trip!!

Kirkland, Washington

My ratings by kids age

GREAT Value!

We love Great Wolf Lodge! First, we live where it rains (a lot) and we get tired of the downpour (a lot) and want to go somewhere close, not too expensive, dry and warm. Hawaii would be nice, but GWL makes a great alternative. For about $250, we can get TWO days in the waterpark plus one overnight stay. If we were to go to anywhere else, that $250 would be spent just for the attractions!

Tips for Families

We're not impressed with the dinner buffet, but we do love the breakfast buffet. And it's a great way to start the day! Get up, put on suits, go for a rather late breakfast (usually about 10am for us), hit the pools! Lunch, we usually stay in the waterpark area and have lunch from the canteen there. It's a lot less $$ than anywhere else in GWL. Dinner? Here's a hint! As you're driving from the freeway to GWL, you'll see a pizza place with a phone number. They will deliver to the GWL lobby. And it's good pizza. Don't forget to bring your own paper plates and napkins. So, you've got a really nice breakfast, lunch snacks, and pizza. If you order breakfast when you make your reservations you save about $2/each. All in all, you can do food this way for about $20/each.

My ratings by kids age

GWL - The Ultimate Kid-friendly getaway

Everything about GWL is geared toward kids. My two boys loved pretty much everything! The water park was great of course, and we had a camp themed suite with a separate kids sleeping area which they thought was really cool. They really enjoyed the MagiQuest game...they completed the whole game in 2 days! My youngest didn't want to leave and is still sad that we didn't stay longer. He has asked to go there for his birthday!

Tips for Families

We stayed on a Thursday night which was great. The water park and hotel in general were busy but not overly crowded. By late Friday when we were leaving, it was noticeably busier, so I'm not sure what the water slides lines and such would be like on a weekend.

Beaverton, Oregon

My ratings by kids age

Fantastic time at Great Wolf Lodge!

This was a fantastic trip for my boys and I. It is a great, fun place where the kids didn't want to stop playing and when they did, they were exhausted! So many fun different things to do, and one of my boys even got seperated from me and lost and the staff was great and got him back to me safe and sound, and not too scared. My only complain't is the price of some of the cooler rooms and the additional activities and snacks, but otherwise, fantastic. Nice to have in room microwaves, etc. My boys consistently ask to go back. Awesome.

Tips for Families

Make a place to meet up if you get separated. It's big and loud in there and easy to have one get out of sight!

My ratings by kids age

My trip photos

Better Than Disneyland!

So much fun- all in one enclosed space! Our whole family loved the waterpark (kept nice and warm) and our kids got hours of fun out of MagiQuest- a magic-themed scavenger hunt that has them interacting with all sorts of cool things hidden around the hotel. The restaurants were decent- the atmosphere very fun. Lots to do, plus you can enjoy a cocktail almost anywhere in the building. Favorite memory: my son's expressions as I tubed with them down the biggest waterside- me screaming while they laughed at my reaction. They actually told me they had more fun than at Disneyland. Highly recommend!

Tips for Families

Take them up on the offer of a "Paw Pass" for each kid. It differs from location to location, but our passes included a basic MagiQuest wand and a game of MagiQuest (or CompassQuest), candy, ice cream, a cool t-shirt or pillowcase, a souvenir pin, a souvenir cup and a stuffed animal. If you want to save money you can take advantage of the fridges and microwaves that are in most rooms by bring breakfast and lunch and look for coupons on their website before you go. Remember that although check-in isn't until 4 p.m. most locations, you can start using the waterpark at 1 p.m. the day of your arrival, and can use the watermark all day even after you check out of your room.

North Bend, Washington

My ratings by kids age

Waterslides galore for all ages.

This hotel waterpark is the best of both worlds for kids and adults. The variety of waterslides for different levels of excitement provided fun for everyone. The staff was very accomidating, and there were always fresh warm towels available. Many food options and the rooms were generally clean. Lots of other activities for kids to do besides the waterpark, ie...arcade, kids club, scoops spa, magi quest, etc... There is something for everyone.

Tips for Families

Get there as close to noon as possible on the day of arrival to take advantage of the waterpark on your first day. No need to bring your own towels, but do bring some kind of coverup, unless you like to walk the hall of the hotel in your bathing suit.